The present invention relates generally to a method for preparing exposed surfaces of metal composites for plating with corrosion-resistant material, and more particularly to such surface preparation of two-phase metal composites in which one of the phases is more brittle than the other phase.
Many metals and metal systems such as alloys and composites used in structural applications because of their particular properties suffer corrosion problems upon exposure to the gaseous or liquid environment in which they are used. These metals and metal systems are protected from such corrosion by coating them with a suitable plating material which affords the necessary corrosion protection.
While the plating of most metals and alloys is readily achieved, some difficulties have occurred in attempting to protect two-phase metal composites in which one of the metal phases is substantially more brittle than the other phase, for example, tungsten particulates in a copper matrix. The presence of the tungsten particulates renders the plating operation very difficult, since the plating material will not readily adhere to the particulates while adhering to the matrix material so as to cause the plating to be less adherent to the composite than desired.